Soul of the Warrior
by David Stryder
Summary: Sequel to The Rest of the Scroll. Chapter 3 is up! The end is near...
1. Reflections! Naruto remembers the past

To all readers who followed "The Rest of the Scroll," and thought 'The End?' meant the story was over... shame on you.

* * *

The night was unusually quiet. In this part of the country, noises would be commonplace. There would usually be thousands of insects in a moonlight choir, or some animals calling to each other from across the forest. Of course, there was also the screams of terror and pain from the humans that dared enter this area. After all, Training Area 44 was also called the 'Forest of Death.' In the center of this area, standing several stories high, was a tower. This was the goal of most of the humans that were out in the forest right now. The finish line for the Second Exam of the Chuunin Selection Exam.

Two cold, blue eyes peered into the clear night sky from inside a small, empty room, somewhere on the tower's east side. The young shinobi known as Naruto sat on the floor in that room, leaning up against the cold, damp wall, gazing through the room's only window, letting his mind drift back over the events of the past few months. Anyone other than his own Team 7 would find this as very odd behavior, for Naruto was not known to either _stare quietly_ and _not sleep_. But then, they don't know him as well as they think...

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''  
You see, the Naruto in that room is not the true Naruto. Yes, he does look and act exactly like he always has; hyper, loudmouthed, a little dim... but that's what he wants you to think. For the past few months, the true Naruto has been asleep; asleep in his own mind. In his place is the spirit of a warrior, long-dead and nearly forgotten. He is Ishida Senshi, a taijutsu expert who died many, many years ago, but has since been brought back to the realm of the living via a special summoning spell hidden within the text of the Scroll of Seals. However, he was brought back _within Naruto's body._As a result, he has maintained a constant mental link with Naruto, giving him advice and even holding short conversations. He also was able to take temporary control of his body, allowing him the freedom of movement once again.

Then, a few weeks afterwards, things got ...complicated. During a mission into the Wave Country, his team encountered two very powerful missing-nin, and as a result, the young Uchiha Sasuke gave his life to protect Naruto. Then, due to Naruto's own emotions raging to a new level, the seal over the Kyuubi began to crack, and the beast almost broke out. In fact, one of the two Shishou-Fuin was destroyed, but Senshi managed to rebuild it just in time. However, as a result of the conflict, Naruto's true self withdrew into the deepest parts of his mind, and it has not stirred since. Senshi had no choice but to take full control of his body.

Within days of their return, Senshi began 'researching' Naruto better, finding out his habits, has usual attitude, his friends, and the various aspects of his life. He had no intention of sharing his situation with anyone other than Kakashi, Sakura and Hokage himself. This meant he had to really work hard at playing the part he now had.  
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Thinking back on this, Naruto smiled to himself. He had even begun calling himself by the boy's name _in his head_. It really wasn't that hard to remake himself into the number-one loudmouth ninja of the village. In fact, he had enjoyed it.

A shuffling noise drew his attention away from the window. Other than himself, there were three cots in the room, and Haruno Sakura was fast asleep on one of them. As she turned herself over in the moonlight, the various patches of dirt and blood were nearly unnoticable. Also, the cuts and bruises she had gained these past few days were healing rather nicely.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''  
Sakura had several of her own problems to deal with after the Wave Country mission. The most obvious one was Sasuke; the young Haruno had spent years trying to win the Uchiha's affection. Heck, his would have been sufficient. But now he was gone. Sakura fell into a rather deep depression for 5 days. All their missions had ceased, as well. For a while, it looked as though Team 7 would be torn apart. 

Then, as quickly as she went _into_ her depression, Sakura got over it. During training sessions, she began putting forth 110, no longer holding anything back. Kakashi guessed that she finally came to her senses and realized that without Sasuke, the team would be relying in Naruto alone. Naruto, on the other hand, thought that she had finally realized that Sasuke wouldn't have accepted her mourning. He had died with honor and the way she had been sulking over him was disgraceful. Of course, Sakura avoided the subject altogether, focusing instead on improving her own skills.

Only days after her 're-awakening,' Sakura began intense study of just about every medical jutsu that Konoha had information on. She also began secretly training with Naruto, alone, to learn a few of _his _jutsu. For the most part, things progressed smoothly.

One afternoon, exactly 2 weeks, and 3 days after returning from the Wave Country, Team 7 was called into the Hokage's office. He explained to them that the reason they no longer were given missions was that a team of only 2 shinobi was not even considered. That left the old man with two options: 1) Find a replacement Genin to fill in, or 2) dissolve the team. Over the past week, he had examined every available Genin, and was confident that he had found a suitable replacement for Sasuke. The Hokage called to his assistant outside, instructing him to bring in the new recruit.

A young woman entered, walking calmly towards the center of the room. She had black hair, and wore a pair of slim, light-grey pants, a dark-grey turtleneck sweater with the sleeves removed, and both arms were wrapped in bandages up to her elbows. She wore black, fingerless gloves, as well as a leather belt that had several pouches. Her forehead protector gleamed slightly in the afternoon sun. Upon getting a closer look, they noticed that her hair was tied in a rough ponytail, almost like she had tied it by herself. Also, her deep violet eyes, while beautiful, had almost no expression. Both Sakura and Naruto shivered slightly as they both realized the same thing: this girl had the same expression as Sasuke! The same!

The girl was introduced as Tsumetai Hayasa. She was only one year older than Sakura, but had only recently graduated to Genin. According to Hokage, her basic stats were very simillar to Sasuke's. Even though he knew it was risky to introduce a new Genin to a team that already had a few missions under it's belt, it was better than letting them all go in different directions.

As it turned out, Sandaime couldn't have made a better choice. Hayasa quickly established her place on the team, even winning over Sakura as a friend, rather than a rival. It was also clear that she was bringing some new strengths to the team that Sasuke didn't. The Uchiha's fighting style was mostly ninjutsu mixed with some _tai_jutsu, while Hayasa's style was mostly ninjutsu mixed with some _gen_jutsu. Also, she demonstrated that the little taijutsu she used was mostly weapon-based. She always carried her personal twin short-swords with her, constantly trying to improve her accuracy which, as most chuunin teachers claimed, was already the best in Konoha. One of them went so far as to compare her to the Uchiha clan, who were renowned for their Sharingan eyes.

Later on, she revealed one _more_ secret. Speed. She was as fast as any Jounin in the entire village. She had spent much of her life training herself to run faster and faster, and her reflexes had grown just as quickly. Because of this, her nickname at the academy had been 'Shiden.'  
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Morning broke over the high foliage of the trees. A pair of birds flew away, off to find their morning meal. Naruto, who had not had a wink of sleep, stretched his arms over his head, taking in a large breath of morning air. Beside him, Hayasa rose slowly from her cot, also stretching her arms over her head. She looked over at the window, squinting in the sunlight. Her own clothes looked just as raggedy as the other two, if not worse, and she had her own cuts and bruises that were still healing. Groggily, she stood up, shuffled to the door, and made her way into the hall, making a bee-line for the bathroom. A half-grin appeared on Naruto's face.

Sakura was up next, her recently trimmed hair sticking out in almost every conceivable direction. She groaned slightly when she ran her fingers through it. "Well, ...at least it's shorter, now. This would have taken me a week ...(yawn)... to fix when it was still long." Naruto nodded in agreement. She looked over at him, slightly suprised. "Didn't you sleep well?"

"Not since this whole exam started." The blonde rose from his spot on the floor, wiping his rear off from the dirt of the floor. "At first, I didn't think it would be all that hard. The written test was easier than it looked."

Sakura grinned. "Yeah. I still remember the confused looks on some of the faces after they were told that only two chuunin were planted to cheat off of. They thought there were three." Both shinobi laughed lightly at the memory. A few moments of silence passed. "Which day _is _this?"

"The fourth. We have to wait here one more day."

Sakura groaned again. "Crap. And all we get are these cheap cots? No beds? My back's gonna be tied in a _knot _by the time this is over!"

Naruto replied "At least your _butt's_ not asleep." He moved his legs some, trying to regain feeling in his hind end. They were still laughing when Hayasa came back into the room, hair re-tied and clothes straitened out.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''  
The news that the village's number 1 rookie had been killed recieved mixed responses. Most of the adults that had held an admiration for Sasuke were mourning him. Many of the other Genin did the same. There were a few, however, that did not. Rock Lee, a skilled taijutsu fighter, tried instead to wrap his mind around how someone as potent as the Uchiha prodigy could be killed. He knew well how Sasuke fought. They had fought a few times as Academy students. It just didn't make sense. 

Of all the Sasuke fanatics that began a massive period of grieving, none went _quite _as far as Yamanaka Ino. For an entire week, the blonde locked herself in her room, shut the blinds, and hugged a picture of Sasuke to her chest while she sat on her bed, crying. She would later look back on this and wonder how she had so many tears for one guy.

Hyuuga Neji, on the other hand, cared very little. He had been the number 1 rookie the year before, and since then had seen that title taken away by Sasuke. Now, with him gone, that meant that _not only _was he the number 1 rookie again, but he also would never have the chance to fight the Uchiha in an even, 1-on-1 battle. All the attention was back on the Hyuuga, and he didn't even _earn_ it.

This was what was on his mind on the second day of the Second Exam, when his own team came up next to Naruto's. There was thick forest between the two teams, and for a moment, Neji considered taking them on for their scroll. After some consideration, he changed his mind. Besides that, using his Byakugan, he noticed that they had the 'heaven' scroll as well, so it would do no good.

Since all the focus was on Sasuke's death, Senshi had a much easier time getting into the role of Naruto. He had many slips and quite a few out-of-character moments, but no one noticed. In no time, he was completely familliar with Naruto's hyperactive, prankster ways. No one suspected a thing.  
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

The three Genin sat back inside their room, sighing lightly. "It's nice that we don't have to keep foraging for food once we make it here." Sakura said.

"Yeah. They're pretty decent cooks here." Naruto replied. He patted his belly, which was only slightly swollen with his latest Ramen binge.

"I noticed Hinata, Kiba, and Shino were there. I'm glad we weren't the only rookies that passed."

"Yeah..." Naruto sighed again. Slowly, his look became more serious. "Did you notice those guys from the Sand were here before us?"

Both Sakura and Hayasa looked over at him. Sakura said, "Yeah. I half-expected them to beat us here. ...Why do you ask?"

Naruto's eyes wandered. "That red-haired kid. I knew there was something strange about him." He paused for a moment, glancing over at his teammates. "We got here in just over 3 days. They got here in less. Don't you think it's odd that for a kid that small, travelling that fast, he hasn't got a mark on him? Or that his clothes are perfectly clean?"

Sakura's eyes widened. She clearly remembered how ...clean he looked. After coming through the forest of death, _no one_ should be unharmed, much less some kid. Even most jounins couldn't get through it without at least _one_ scratch. Something was clearly wrong.

"All I noticed was his smell." Hayasa offered. "He smelled strongly of blood."

* * *

It's only a short chapter because I'm recapping the end of the last story somewhat, and I want to keep the fights together as much as possible. Anyway, sorry for the delay. It takes me too long to do this, sometimes. That, and I was waiting on the appropriate episodes to download from the internet. Good reference! 

**R&R!**


	2. Sakura's growth, Hayasa's skill

I know you're out there. I can hear you breathing...

* * *

Tension. It filled the air, soaking everyone as though it was thick humidity. It was almost hard to breath, there was so much. Everyone was at a slightly different level of tension, mostly due to the fight that had just ended. 

A thin, young boy, no older than any of the other Genin, stood still in the middle of the massive arena. His sand continued flowing like a living entity, slowly returning to the gourd strapped to his back. His shock of red hair seemed a kind of afterimage of the gore that was just witnessed. As the sand flowed, it revealed the empty spot where once lay a person. A Genin by the name of Akadou Yoroi, in fact. The only traces that remained was a few drops of blood, nothing more. Once the sand had completely returned to his gourd, Gaara placed the cork into the opening, then used the sand to dematerialize and re-appear with his teammates, the 2 other Genin from the Hidden Village of Sand.

Across the room, Ino was on her knees, trying very hard to not throw up. Chouji was next to her, looking quite pale. In fact, most of the other examinees were in a simillar state, thanking whatever gods there were that _they_ didn't have to fight Gaara. Whoever that Yoroi was, he was long gone.

"If he had any sense, he would've forfeited the match." Hayasa's cool, unsympathetic voice was the first sound to break the silence. "Any fool could tell when they're outmatched _that_ badly."

Naruto stood next to her, his face a plastered look of shock mixed with some horror. Underneath, though, he was intrigued. Never had he seen such a method of fighting before. Never had he seen one element used with such deadly force. He wanted to know more about this boy.

The display screen blinked once again, obeying it's programming with emotionless precision. The names shuffled visibly, coming to rest on two that held a particular interest to Team 7.

**ZAKU ABUMI vs. HARUNO SAKURA**

Zaku, who had been itching for a good fight since before the written exam, eagerly hopped down to the main floor. For the entire length of the Second Exam, the only time he got to _do_ anything was when they encountered that one team, who just happened to have the scroll they needed. Of course, they were all weak, and Zaku only managed to take out one by the time Dosu and Kin took out theirs. It wasn't fair! But now he had his chance.

Kakashi looked down at his student, slightly unsure about this matchup. One look into Sakura's eyes, however,wiped those doubts away. The silver-haired jounin knew that she had been training herself, and while he didn't know all the details, he had full confidence in her abilities. _/Let's see how much you've grown, Sakura... /_

"Go get 'em, Sakura-chan!" Naruto gave his perkiest cheer, signaling a good-luck thumbs-up. Sakura only looked at him and smiled, knowing full well the message that lay just under the surface.

_/Don't worry, Naruto... I won't overdo it... /_ With this thought in mind, she lept down, landing lightly on the concrete below.

Above, the other two Sound-nin looked on with curiousity. Dosu could only wonder at his teammate's cockyness. It was obvious by the way he carried himself and by his stupid grin that he was underestimating his enemy. Where they came from, that was usually a fatal mistake.

The Ino-Shika-Chou team looked on with a different emotion. For the most part, they had known Sakura for their entire Genin career. Ino, more than anyone else, knew that Sakura was not a ninja with some special talent, or some natural power, nor did she have any speciality jutsus. She was more or less your average, no-talent ninja.

The only ones who weren't expecting the worst for the pink-haired shinobi were her own teammates. Hayasa and Kakashi looked on, wondering more about _how_ Sakura would win than _if_ she would win. They had seen her use some unusual jutsus during missions, but neither knew what she was really capable of. Naruto, on the other hand, knew all to well... but he wasn't about to spoil it for them.

Hayate wasted little time, declaring "Let the second match begin!"

Sakura, also, was done playing around. They had slacked off a little while in the forest and had a few close calls, so she felt as if she had to make up for it by getting through this preliminary fight. No sooner did the judge's voice echo back to the center of the room than Sakura's hands went to work. Horse. Tiger. All the seals she needed. She leaned back, putone hand to her lips, and shouted "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Fire shot in a wave from her mouth, roaring forth to consume her adversary.

Zaku was only momentarily suprised. Indeed he had underestimated Sakura, but he adjusted his view once she began her hand seals. He was just able to raise his hands when the fireball came at him. But he had more than enough time to let loose a massive impulse blast from the holes in his hands. Sonic and air pressure erupted forth, cancelling out the blast. Smoke poured forth like a tidal wave, smothering the battle area in a blanket of grey.

Kakashi, for his part, was not expecting this. It was enough of a shock when Sasuke used that jutsu on him for the first time, during their first training excersize. He had an exceptional amout of chakra to begin with... Sakura shouldn't have anywhere _near_ that much, even _now!_ The jounin caught a glance of his other, blonde student, realizing that there was more to their secret training than he had previously thought. Naruto was looking on, wearing a proud grin. The kind a teacher wears when his student does a good job.

Ino had just about seen enough. It was bad enough that Sakura had overcome Sasuke's death first, had cut her hair, and even that she was taking training more seriously, but this... Basically, Ino felt like she was being left in the dust. And if there was one thing that Yamanaka Ino hated, it was losing. Still, she gritted her teeth, gripped the handrails 'til they just about bent, and watched.

The sound-nin stood in the middle of a cloud of smoke that just wouldn't dissolve. He waited, listening for his prey. That pink-haired shinobi girl hadn't made a sound since the blast died out. Usually, a person will make _some_ sound. Breathing. Clothes flapping with movement. Something. But there was nothing. He wasn't sure about this girl anymore...

She struck, landing a painful punch to his gut. What was odd, however, was that other than the impact of the punch and Zaku's grunt, there was _no other noise_. Nothing. Not even the flutter of Sakura's shirt as she ran. Zaku could only stand there, too stunned to move. No noise. _No noise_. How the _hell_...?

The young Haruno lept in, once again noiselessly, and used a simple but devastating technique. Naruto had taught this one to her personally. She jumped up, almost in slow motion, then bent her leg back. She gathered chakra into the contact point, constantly collecting, until the moment of truth. The instant her foot struck the sound-nin's head, she released all the pent-up chakra from that point, increasing the power of the blow by at least 20x. The impact created a boom that vibrated the entire building. Needless to say, Zaku was nothing more than a rag doll as his body flew straight into the far wall, which cracked with the impact, then he bouced off with a sickening thunk and lay silent on the cold concrete.

**xxxxXxxxx**

"You did it, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered.

"Yeah, I guess I did, didn't I?" Sakura smiled sheepishly.

Kakashi stared, his expression ever hidden beneath his thin mask. His visible eye in it's ususal state. "Very impressive. ...Tell me, what was that? How did you nullify the sound?" _/And where the hell'd you get all that chakra!./_

A dim blush appeared on the Haruno's face. "Well, I came up with it while training with Naruto. Basically, I found that by covering yourself with a thin layer of chakra, then getting it to stay at _just_ the right frequency and level, you end up soundproofing yourself. The only problem is that sound can't go _either_ direction." She put a hand next to her ear. "Which means that if I don't leave a hole or two, _I'm_ deaf to the outside world." Her hand flopped back down to her side, her smile bigger than ever. "I call it Mugon no Jutsu."

"Impressive. To create a stealth jutsu on your own... Your chakra control has improved beyond what I had ever imagined." Kakashi's smile shone clear, like it was ignoring the mask entirely. It faded just as fast, and the jounin looked down at the medic team. They had Zaku on a stretcher and were trying to carry him to the infirmiry as gently as possible. _/However... to control chakra that precisely... that has to take more out of you than you expect... /_ He looked back at his teammates, still celebrating. _/Be carefull with this jutsu you've created, Sakura. It could well become a double-edged sword.../_

Ino was ready to explode. Her grip on those poor handrails would have taken a tree from the ground, roots and all. She was also starting to see red. _/How the hell... How the hell... HOW THE HELL..?./_

Their celebration was cut short. The almighty display board kicked on again, scrambling through the 16 remaining names. Finally, the next two fighters were chosen:

**TSUMETAI HAYASA vs. TENTEN**

The latter had taken no more than two steps when a certain silver-eyed teammate stopped her. "Be careful."

"Why, Neji-kun. I didn't know you cared." Tenten giggled as the Hyuuga blushed, although he wasn't quite sure why. Indeed, an air of caution surrounded the team. After seeing what Sakura had to offer, they were going to take no chances.

"My turn already?" Hayasa's violet eyes sparkled with anticipation. _/Maybe I'll get to cut loose a little.../_

"Good luck, and be carefull!" Sakura gave her the thumbs-up.

"Always." Hayasa nimbly lept over the railing, landing softly on the concrete below with the grace of a cat. Tenten, however, took the stairs. She wanted to fight, but she wasn't in a big hurry. Might as well carry yourself with _some_ dignity.

The two fighters stood face to face. Hayate stood somewhat between them. _/This is good. None of the matches so far are taking too long.../_ "When you're ready, ...begin the third match."

The first thing Tenten did was to put some distance between herself and her opponent,butHayasa wasn't concerned with distance. She slowly began looking over Tenten, sizing-up her opponent. Even though the only weapon worn was the standard kunai strap on her leg, Hayasa knew better. She stood in a ready position, waiting for Tenten to make the first move. Which she did. "Well if you're not going to move, ...I will!" Tenten sent four shuriken flying at her enemy, but Hayasa simply moved her head at the last minute, letting them all fly past. Each clattered to a stop against the back wall.

The only ones caught by suprise were Rock Lee and Gai-sensei. Both knew that it was impossible for Tenten to miss. She could hit her target 100 times in 100 tries. This was just ...unheard of. Neji spoke up right next to them, quiet as usual. "This might be more interesting than I first thought." He looked over at Gai-sensei. "Wasn't Tenten tied with another student at the academy for accuracy scores?"

The thick-browed jounin thought for a moment. Yes, there was one name... what was it... His mind brought up the score sheets for that year's students. Right next to Tenten's name... Gai-sensei's round eyes widened to twice their normal size as it dawned on him. His voice almost shook. "Her! ...It's her!"

Lee looked confused. "It's who, Gai-sensei?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten about Tsumetai Hayasa? The one they compared with the Uchihas?"

Lee's look of confusion answered that question. No.

At that moment, Tenten lept. She unfurled a scroll, twisting and twirling it about as she spun like a small twister. Her speed increased, causing the scroll to blur around her. Then the rain began. Weapons, including shurikens, kamas, kunai, morning-stars, nunchaku, ...literally every weapon that _could_ be summoned, _was._ They all came at Hayasa as if they were attracted to her, twisting through the air like living entities. Their target reached around behind her, slowly pulling one of her swords out of it's sheath.

Then, using the unique combination of speed and accuracy that _only _she possesed, Hayasa dodged, struck, dodged, struck, dodged, and struck again, and again, all in a kind of blur. The clang of metal against metal filled the air like a bad song. One by one, Tenten's weapons fell to the ground. Some were dinged, others were completely destroyed. _All _were hit. Hayasa's breathing had only increased a little (this was nothing more than a workout for her) as Tenten landed, a mere grin pasted onto her face.

"I guess that was about what I should expect from you, eh? Shiden?"

When that word reached Lee's ears, his eyes grew far wider than his sensei's. Indeed, he could recall watching as this same girl would preform the same excersizes as Tenten, and it was as if he were watching a mirror. Both did exactly thesame motions, hit their targets at the same time, ...hell, their two impacts sounded like one.

"I'd say your aim has improved, but when it's already perfect, there _is _no improvement, is there?" Hayasa half-grinned. "As much as I'd love to settle our score, I want to get through this exam." She made a single seal, followed by "Genjutsu, Kokuangyou no Jutsu."

Day turned to night. All light was suddenly swallowed up in absolute darkness. Almost every single onlooker of the fight was blinded. The only ones who could still follow the battle were those with specialized eyes, including Kakashi, Neji, and Hinata.

Tenten was caught by suprise. She had known that Hayasa was proficient with some Genjutsu, but this was one of the more uncommonly used techniques. In fact, she had never even _heard_ of this one until her opponent spouted out the name only moments ago.

"Let's see if you can aim with your ears..." Hayasa's cool, calm voice seemed to come from everywhere.

Tenten relaxed, allowing her eyes to adjust. They were useless, but it wouldn't hurt. She focused, concentrating on two senses: sound and touch. The brown-haired shinobi had trained herself to recognize an approaching body by the way the air moved around it. With focus, she noticed footsteps. Two shuriken shrieked away towards them, only to clang against concrete a moment later. Wait, ...now there were footsteps on the other side! All around her!

By now, Tenten's pupils had fully expanded to accomodate the darkness, and that was just what Hayasa had been waiting on. Her shout echoed from the abyss, saying "Nikko no Jutsu!"

Tenten's eyes just about exploded. The sudden, absolute shift from pitch black to looking straight into the sun was almost too much for the poor girl, and she dropped to her knees, trying vainly to cover her eyes. _/How could I be that stupid! Why else would she just leave me in the dark for so long?.../ _Around her, she could hear the various shouts and groans from the other Genin, as well as Hayate. Damn. At this point, she was as good as done. It would take her more than a day to fully recover from such a blow. And without her eyes, ...she was ...useless.

Still sitting where she had fallen, Tenten raised her hand and almost shouted "I'm done. The match is over. I... I can't... I can't fight anymore." She was choking back tears at the end. To be beaten without having one finger laid on her...

The judge's voice quivered slightly, for he, too, was incapacitated. "Winner: Hayasa." A pause. "We will take an hour break, so that the examinees can recover enough to continue."

**xxxxXxxxx**

"Wasn't that ...a little much?" Sakura asked sheepishly.

Team 7 had already suffered through one of Hayasa's darkness-light combos, and had come prepared. Naruto, Sakura, _and_ Kakashi all took off their sunglasses as Hayasa came back up. "No, I don't think so..."

"I think you've caught someone's intrest..." Naruto spoke flatly, facing down the walkway. Hayasa followed his gaze, and met with a pair of pale, silver-white eyes framed by long waves of dark brown hair. These eyes were set in a glare.

"Hyuuga Neji." Kakashi said. "One of two Genin from the Hyuuga clan. Very serious-minded."

"Hmm..." Hayasa wondered aloud. Her own gaze locked with the Hyuuga's, not flinching even once. Those eyes were ...intriguing, in a way. Such a strange color. The young shinobi felt as though those eyes were looking right _through_ her.

Oh, yes. There was something she found interestingabout this ...Neji. She had a strong feeling that she would be getting to know him betterbefore _too _long.

**xxxxXxxxx**

The next two fights went as would be expected. Another oneof the Sound-nin, Kin, fell prey to Shikamaru's Shadow-imitation jutsu. Afterwards, the remaining member of Kabuto's team, Tsurugi Misumi, was defeated by Kankurou's freaky puppet techniques. Nothing too different, so they won't be described in detail here.

The next two names to grace the display board received mixed responses from everyone in the room. Some grew bored, knowing the outcome before the fighters had even entered the arena. Others grew brash, hoping that the loss would be a bad one for one of the fighters. A few grew nervous, wondering if their teammate would even _survive_ this fight. The opponent was well-known to be one of the strongest trainees in the room, if not _the_ strongest. The only ones to become excited and _positive _about the fight were the two fighters, themselves. Both made their way down to the main floor.

One fighter stood in his usual brash, cocky manner, hands folded in front of his chest, huge grin pasted to his face, and his blonde hair spiked out as it always was. The other, more calm and collected, his stance that of one ready for the attack, and his black, bowl-cut hair and thick eyebrows seemed to sparkle in the mid-day sunlight.

Next Chapter:

**ROCK LEE vs. UZUMAKI NARUTO**.

* * *

So, what do you think? Good fights? Bad fights? Neji x Hayasa? ...Pelt me with blunt objects? ...Hello?

...please review! If you can't for some reason, track down my e-mail address and just send me a direct message! Please! _Let me know that my story's being read!_


	3. Aftermath! The Major Battle!

So sorry. I lied. This will not be the Naruto/Rock Lee fight. See, I've discovered just how hard it is to try to write a fight scene like this and not sound like an idiot. So I'm gonna use a different method. _Flashbacks._ Heh, heh.

Anywho...

* * *

Drip... 

Drip...

Drip...

The sound of a slow trickle of water seemed to be the only thing holding him in existence. Darkness shrouded his eyes. Silence covered his ears. No smell met his nose. There was only the steady drip... drip... drip...

Dim, grainy images met his mind's eye. On a bridge, covered in mist. People, many he knew. Doing ...something? With shuriken? Being trapped within a tomb of ice mirrors. Pain... So much pain...

But they faded into blackness, as they always did, leaving him alone again within his silent, dark prison. And still the drip continued, like some unsleeping, eternal sentinel, forever guarding him from that which would bring him pain.

Drip...

Drip...

Drip...

**"Are you gonna lie there forever, kid?"**

A new voice, rough and uncaring, trying to pull him out of his peaceful slumber. Yet, ...the words seemed to hang, echoing within the emptiness. Another image greeting his mind's eye, this time of a giant prison door, with bars reaching absurd heights. The floor was invisible beneath a murky layer of ...water? Mist? Hard to tell. The bars were coated with rust and some sort of growth, both of which gave off an eerie glow in the dim light.

**"Hey, kid! Wake up!"**

Behind the bars, within the pitch blackness, two balls of flame appeared. They elongated and grew clearer, revealing thin, black vertical slits down the centers, like  
_(fox eyes. )  
_A broad half-moon of teeth spread itself out beneath those eyes. Only at that moment did the seal on the jail door become clear. Only at that moment did the last vision come. A man with grey hair, standing in a tree  
_(Mizuki...? )  
_telling him why he was an outcast. Why everyone hated him.  
_(and Iruka...? )  
_Because sealed within his body was the spirit of the...

**xxxxXxxxx**

He opened his eyes, finding himself lying on his back. A strange, stone ceiling rose high above him, pieces decayed by the years, some moldy. A single flourescent light shone a dim, greenish light into his face. He felt wet, like he was lying in water.

In one rush, the memories of his final moments of conciousness came back to him. The Wave Country. Letting Senshi take over. Quickly defeating the masked boy. Watching Sasuke get killed. Then it all went fuzzy. Then it all went black.

He sat up, wincing at the pain that came from everywhere. Glancing down, he saw that his beloved orange and blue outfit was littered with small puncture holes and, judging by the pain underneath, _he_ was, too. The water he had been marinating in fell off him in a small torrent, breaking the silence into many little pieces. His hand went to his head, making sure it was still on his shoulders, when the voice came again.

**"Finally you're awake. ...And you look like shit."**

Uzumaki Naruto shakily stood to his feet, drenched back still dripping from his nap. He pushed his lower back forward while bending backward, allowing his spine to pop and crackle pleasantly. Looking around with newly awakened eyes, he found himself in the same room from one of his visions. Three solid stone walls, and a fourth, vertical jail bars. In the center of the bars, a newly placed seal.

When Naruto saw the bars, he suddenly wanted very much to go back to sleep. His eyes were greeting by the same eyes of flame from his vision. Evil seemed to radiate from them, flowing out between the bars like a red fog. And suddenly he knew. He just knew. "Kyuubi."

**"I guess you _are_ awake. It only took you a few months..."**

The image of Ishida Senshi came to him, forcibly taking control of his body from the fox-demon. The eruption of power. Naruto himself, lying motionless of the submerged floor of Kyuubi's prison. "A few months..."

**"I've been trying to wake you the entire time. Do you know how annoying it is when the only person to ever visit you is asleep in front of you?"**

Naruto was still trying to comprehend what happened. "If I've been _in here_ that long, what happened _out there?_"

**"You think I know? I can't see everything, kid."**

"Do you know how I can get back there?"

**"...Maybe."**

**xxxxXxxxx**

The small cot gave a weak protest as Hayasa sat down on it. She sighed, the scene that she had just witnessed still very fresh in her mind. She looked across the room, her violet eyes examining her friend and comrade who was lying asleep on the other cot. Naruto's clothes were almost destroyed, and his body was littered with scratches -- everything else was covered in bandages. He had lost his forehead protector long ago, almost from the fight's begining. Even after putting up such an intense struggle, he looked so peaceful...

"Still asleep?" Sakura had just walked into the room, trying to be quiet.

"Yeah. Out like a light." Hayasa's voice was slow and soft, as if lost in thought.

The pink-haired kunoichi walked back out, ever-so-softly closing the door behind her. _/Not that it would make much difference... He could probably sleep through a bomb blast... /_ This thought gave Sakura a sudden case of the giggles. She silently walked down the hallway that led to the main arena. Or what was left of it.

* * *

When Naruto and Rock Lee entered the center floor, everyone pretty much knew who would win. Rock Lee was an amazing taijutsu fighter who, as far as anyone knew, stuck with that. Only his own team knew that hand-to-hand was Lee's only method of fighting. Naruto, on the other hand, was only known for his loud mouth and prankster nature. Oh sure, he could preform a few complicated jutsus (like Kage Bunshin), but that was not something you really took seriously with him. 

The fight began as expected. Lee struck first, landing several blows that would have sent many chuunins to the medic. Lee, for his part, also knew of Naruto's reputation, and therefore didn't exert his full power. He would later regret that...

* * *

Sakura stood on the side walkway of the arena, staring silently into the now-empty space. The roof, which had stood rather high and tall, giving one a quiet sense of security, was gone. That's right. **Gone.** Small pieces still remained attached where the roof met the walls, but now they only served as perches for the local birdlife. The night sky was now seen clearly, more so than the shinobi had ever seen it before in her life. Of course, there was also an ungodly draft that was felt throughout the entire structure.

In the silence, Sakura could almost hear the sound of the battle still ringing. The crash of two incomprihensible forces colliding like bombs going off.

* * *

For the first part of the fight, Naruto acted as he always did: like a fool. He let himself be hit repeatedly and then, to make sure not to make himself look _too _helpless, he 'tried' to fight back. He would later admit that he was just trying to get a feel for his opponent.

It didn't take long for the blonde to drop the act once he felt confident enough. It took even less time for the rest of the shinobi in the room to notice. His stance changed, his power seemed to increase, hell, his whole fighting style had totally changed, ...and his eyes were different. No longer the smiling eyes of a boy, Naruto had the eyes of a seasoned warrior.

* * *

"Quite a day, huh?"

Sakura was startled out of her daydream by Kakashi's voice. The jounin seemingly appeared out of nowhere. As ususal. "Yeah," she said while trying to catch her breath, "it sure was."

The two of them stood quietly together for several minutes. If there was something either of them wanted to say, they had apparently changed their minds. Off in the distance, a chorus of crickets came to life, their endless melody droning on, as if trying as hard as they can to tell the rest of the world that they were there.

After almost half an hour, Sakura spoke up. "I guess the preliminary rounds are over, eh?"

Their laughter echoed distantly inside the arena, drifting out into the emptyness of the night sky.

**xxxxXxxxx**

The drip continued, heedless of the occupants of this small prison cell. It had dripped ever since the room had been created within the boy's midsection, and it was not about to stop now. Naruto, however, was wishing very much that it would stop. It was starting to drive him crazy. That, and his ...cellmate.

"Okay, pretty-please, with whipped cream, sugar, _**and** a freakin' cherry on top!_"

Kyuubi was almost laughing too hard to respond. Almost. **"You forgot the hot fudge! -snicker snicker-"** And with that, he started off into another round of howling laughter.

The blonde sighed, bowing his head. The stupid fox had been taunting him about how to get out for 6 days, and they hadn't been getting anywhere. "I guess I'll just go back to sleep."

**"Spoil sport."**

"You're the one laughing at me!" Naruto was upset to the point that tears were starting to form at the corners of his eyes.

**"Fine then, you win, ya baby. If you really want to know how to get out of here, listen up..."**

**xxxxXxxxx**

Sakura and Hayasa were both asleep on their own cots. Once morning came, Team 7 would head back to the village, and if Naruto was still asleep, they were to carry him. His injuries were mostly healed, but they had to leave if repairs and rebuilding were to start. After all, the place was trashed.

Both kunoichi had the same dream. They dreamed of the fight.

* * *

The dust from the fresh rubble was still settling as the two fighters stared at each other. Their breathing was a little heavier than normal, but otherwise they showed no signs of fatigue. The room was silent, mainly because no one could believe what they were seeing.

Rock Lee was able to attack so fast that he was almost a blur. Naruto was suddenly able to match that speed. Lee could knock his opponent from one side of the arena to the other with one blow. Naruto had done just that to him. It was unreal -- It was like Naruto had become another Rock Lee!

* * *

Back in Konoha Village, in the medical ward, Rock Lee was lying in bed, also wrapped in several bandages and splints. Dispite his mummy-like appearance, he still squirmed about in his sleep, reliving the hour that felt like an eternity.

* * *

"Lee! Take them off!"

The young fighter's round eyes looked up at his sensei, a clear question forming in them. "But Gai-sensei, you said that..."

"Go ahead! I'll let it go this time!" As if to put his stamp of approval on it, he flashed his grin/thumbs-up combo, his pearly whites glinting in the sunlight.

Lee's attention turned back to Naruto. The blonde had a puzzled look on his face. "If you'll excuse me for a second..." He then proceeded to sit down and pull off his leg warmers, revealing a set of weights wrapped around his shins. He unstrapped them and stood up, still holding them in each hand. "Ah! Much better! I can move around easier when these are off!" With that, he dropped them.

Even though they only traveled a total distance of about 3.5 feet, they still impacted the ground hard enough for Naruto to feel it. "Damn! Those things must be heavy!" His face showed genuine amazement. "Well I guess that means I get to take mine off, too."

The blonde sat down, just like his opponent, and pulled up the legs of his pants, revealing the exact same set of weights strapped to his shins.

Lee's face was red with indignation. "Y-y-you can't do that! That's MY training style! You're copying me!"

Naruto shrugged and stood back up, now unhindered, sighing, "Hey, whatever works..."

Before, the two were at near-blur speed. Now, they were _beyond_ it. Only higher-level ninja were able to follow their movements now. Also those with specialized eyes, such as Hyuuga Neji. The rest were left to stare at empty space that seemed to be exploding itself. This was the beginning of the end for the poor roof.

* * *

Naruto awoke with the sun that morning. He sat upright, stretching his hands to heaven while letting his back pop like so many firecrackers. As he looked around, he saw the two girls still asleep nearby. He had to stiffle a giggle when Sakura gave a light snore.

He spun around, swinging his legs over the side of the cot so that they could stand him back up. His face grimaced and a hiss escaped his lungs when he went to put weight on them, though. Nothing felt broken, but rather like... like a stick that had broken once, but then got glued back together. He limped his way out the door, down the hall and into the bathroom. After being asleep for a day and a half, he had some ...business to take care of.

**xxxxXxxxx**

"Are you sure this is the only way?"

**"Hey, you want out, don't you?"**

"Of course I do!"

**"Do you see a door?"**

"No..." Truth was, he was sure that there had been a door in this room sometime in the past, but it was a solid room now. Too much like a tomb...

Naruto was now closer than he wanted to be to the door. To the demon. He could see Kyuubi's massive paw just on the other side of the bars. Just the _thought_ of having to touch him...

**"The longer you stare, the longer you stay!"**

"Bite me!"

**_/Careful, boy... you might just get your wish... /_ **The demon fox's eyes narrowed.

**xxxxXxxxx**

It was now a week after the fight. The teams had been sent back to their respective villages to await the final rounds. (no other eliminations were needed -- many forfeited before the last fight had even ended). Sakura, Hayasa, and Naruto had all returned to their respective homes, each continuing their training in the way they knew best. Kakashi decided that, at least for now, he would let them all rest. God only knew what would happen to _him _if he pissed Naruto off...

* * *

"Say what?"

Lee had just done something to himself. They had been fighting for some time, then all of a sudden Lee was ...alright. His strength had returned and he seemed as healthy as ever. "I said, I released the Open Gate so that I could keep fighting. That's the first of the Eight Gates Manipulation."

Naruto's eyes went wide with shock. "You mean... you can open the Eight Gates?"

"Well, " Lee's eyes fell slightly. "Actually, I can only open five. Not all eight." His face suddenly shot forward, his own look of shock greeting the blonde. "Wait a minute. How do you know about them?"

Naruto didn't answer. His head was lowered and he was laughing lightly, the way someone does when they've just realized something amazing. "If I had known you could open gates, I would've had more fun with you earlier."

The shinobi adjusted his stance again, this time standing straight up, hands dropped to his sides, head leaned forward slightly. He closed his eyes and said "Well, since you've already opened the first gate, I'll skip it and go to number two." Instantly, his body was surrounded by a flame of blue-white chakra, an intense force that took everyone, including his own teammates, by suprise.

"Second... Energy Gate, Open!"

The energy rippled off of Naruto's body in waves. His clothes fluttered with the force. His hair whipped wildly in all directions. It was a scene that would engrave itself in the minds of everyone who ever considered him a weakling. And this was only the beginning...

* * *

Within the Hyuuga residence, Neji splashed his face with water from the family well. The icy cold of the water temporarlily took his mind off the fight. The boy had been training harder than ever since getting home. He had a new goal. In the past, before Sasuke's death, he had also had a goal. To regain the title of number one rookie. But that was the past. Now there was Naruto...

He grunted to his feet, wiping his face off with a towel. Gruffly, he turned back to his training, pushing harder than ever, driven by the memory of Rock Lee's defeat at the hands of the number one loudmouth ninja.

Silently, just around the corner that led back to the house, Hinata watched her brother as he worked. She, too, was thinking about how different Naruto had been. The fun-loving, happy, speaks-his-mind blonde idiot that she had watched for years was ...someone else.

-------

Naruto sat in his apartment, at his table, chowing down on a decent sized bowl of ramen. Yes, even he was thinking back to that fight. _/It's funny. He was able to open five gates, --which he did-- but I still wasn't satisfied. I only got to number six before he fell. That and I tore the damn roof off. I have a good feeling they'll have a talk with me about that one later... /_ His stomach glorped in approval. _/Then there's Naruto. I haven't checked in on him in a while... /_ Once again, his midsection let itself be heard. But that's when it began to hurt. Naruto clutched his stomach, which suddenly felt like it was twisting up into little knots.

_/Just like before. With the rotten milk. /_

Huh? What the? Rotten milk? A faint memory came to him as the pain grew worse. He had downed the remains of some bad milk ...how long ago? Months? Years? He didn't know. The blonde fell out of the chair, both arms wrapped around his middle, groans of pain migrating from his gut. What he _did_ remember was the pain. Just like now. Just like...

And just like that, it was over. Naruto stood back up, a little groggy, staggering a little from side to side. Slowly, he looked at his hands... as if he had never seen them before. His voice echoed slightly in the empty room as he said "...I'm back."

**"What the... Naruto? _You're awake!"_**

"Yes, I am! I am back!" The blonde jumped a few feet into the air, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, God! I've missed the real world."

**"Okay, yes, you're back, woo-hoo. You wanna tell me how the hell you _forced _yourself back into control?"**

"I had some help. The fox demon."

Silence.

"Yeah. We lent each other some power, and he helped me out of that prison. I think it had something to do with that seal on the door..."

More silence.

"What? Is something wrong?"

**"What have you done?"**

Senshi stood ankle deep in murky water, staring at the same doors Naruto had just spent a week arguing at. The seal was gone. The door stood wide open. The room beyond was completely empty. "What have you done?" The question echoed in the vast empty space that had once held the mighty Nine-tailed demon fox.

* * *

Well, for those who don't know my reputation, I have a tendancy to lag a good month or three between chapters. I give my usual apologies and beg your patience.

I've finally thought of an ending! I don't promise that it will come anytime soon, though. Keep a look out for the next chapter as we begin the War of the Fox.

Oh, yeah. R&R!


End file.
